This archive report was first published on 3 September 2021.
Published on September 3, 2021, Hurricane Ida brought record levels of rainfall to New York City, causing widespread disruptions to the city's subway and train services.
According to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, more than half of the subway lines were partly suspended or providing extremely limited service. The Long Island Rail Road resumed full service on most branches by Thursday afternoon, but with delays on trains traveling east of Mets-Willets Point on the Port Washington Branch.
Amtrak canceled all trains between Albany and New York City through Friday, while New Jersey Transit announced that all trains were resuming except those serving Montclair-Boonton, Gladstone, Pascack Valley, and Raritan Valley. The Metro-North Railroad lines remained disrupted, with service suspended on most lines.
Phil Eng, president of the Long Island Rail Road, said that the suspension of service was necessary due to the intense rainfall and flooding. “It’s not a light decision to make, to shut down service, but with the visibility at near-zero, and seeing the devastation that Ida was causing elsewhere, it was the right call,” he said.
Dozens of flights were also canceled or delayed at Kennedy International Airport and La Guardia Airport, and at least 370 flights were canceled Thursday morning at Newark Liberty International Airport. The lower level of Terminal B in Newark remained closed after flooding overnight.
Janno Lieber, acting chairman of the M.T.A., said that passengers on 15 to 20 subway cars had to be rescued in the storm. No one was injured, he said.
Extreme storms have battered New York’s 24-hour train service in recent years, including damage from Sandy in 2012 and mass flooding from Tropical Storm Elsa in July 2021.
